Green Roses
by Tari3
Summary: Harry has a plan involving a certain redhead, Valentine's Day, and a rose. Accompanies 'Chocolate Roses.'


Green Roses ------  
  
A/N: This was written for the Valentine's Day challenge at phoenixsong.net  
  
*  
  
Ron Weasley and Harry Potter had just walked out of the Great Hall when they were cut off by a group of giggling Hufflepuff girls all wearing either pink or red.  
  
Ron made a sound of annoyance. "I hate Valentine's Day. All the girls go all weird and annoying." Harry nodded in agreement, too nervous to say anything. He desperately hoped Ron didn't notice  
  
"What's with you?" Ron asked.  
  
So much for that hope, Harry thought as he pushed up his glasses and continued along silently. There was no way he could tell Ron his plans for later that day. His redheaded friend would not appreciate it in the very least. Harry was quite sure he would be on the receiving end of a right hook if Ron had any idea of what he was about to do.  
  
"Don't tell me you're going all weird too?" Ron asked  
  
"I'm not going weird," Harry said defensively. "I've just got things on my mind."  
  
"Who?" Ron questioned with a raised eyebrow, causing Harry's chest to seize up with anxiety.  
  
Did he know? No, he couldn't.  
  
"No one," Harry said, only realizing he had replied too quickly after the words were out of his mouth.  
  
Yet, in an instant none of that mattered; there she was. Alone. and walking away from him. "I've gotta go," Harry mumbled to Ron as he ran off in the direction she just disappeared.  
  
It would be right now; it had to be. He had been planning this for weeks. Harry glanced down at his new watch. Two weeks, three days, four hours, and nineteen and one-half minutes to be exact. He had been on his way to Potions when the idea had struck him. At the time he knew immediately what he had to do, and every minute since was a minute of torturous anxiety. Harry knew there was only one way to relieve his tension.  
  
"Ginny," Harry called reaching out to touch her shoulder.  
  
She turned sharply, but her features softened with recognition almost instantaneously. "Harry! All right?"  
  
"Yeah. Er." Now that the time had come to execute his plan, he had become extremely nervous. "Do you. want to go for a walk outside?"  
  
"Outside?" Ginny asked, curiously.  
  
Harry shuffled uncomfortably, "Yeah."  
  
After one agonizingly long moment, Ginny finally answered, "All right, then."  
  
Only feeling slightly relieved, and a bit more nauseous, Harry turned and shortly found himself walking out into the crisp February air. Feeling refreshed, he started off across the grounds with no idea of exactly where to go.  
  
"Wait!" a voice shouted out behind him. "Harry, you're going too fast. I can't keep up."  
  
Harry turned around, and a wave of anxiety flashed through his body like a wave at the sight of the beautiful redhead chasing after him.  
  
"What's going on?" she demanded.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you," Harry said simply. Actually saying what he wanted to say was proving to be a difficult challenge. He needed to distract her so that she wasn't completely focused on him; that was the only way he could accomplish his plan. "Let's keep walking."  
  
Together they started walking again, this time Harry took particular care not to walk too fast. He tried to formulate in his mind exactly what to say. He obviously hadn't planned this as well as he thought.  
  
"Harry?" Ginny questioned. "Didn't you say you wanted to talk?"  
  
He stopped under a beech tree and turned to face her, deciding that the only way to do this was to come right out and say it. Picking a spot somewhere over her shoulder on which to focus, Harry summoned all the Gryffindor courage he could and took a breath.  
  
"I wanted to tell you that. that I notice you in the common room and around the halls and you should know that I do notice you in a way that I hope you want to be noticed by me and I." his voice wavering. "you noticed me once before and maybe you still do. I hope you still do because. I want you to notice me."  
  
Harry laughed nervously not quite sure if he had gotten his point across well enough. For the first time since he started his speech, Harry looked into Ginny's eyes and was startled by what he saw. She looked shocked and nervous. Harry was reminded of a younger version of Ginny. The Ginny he met the summer before his second year. He didn't know whether that was good or bad.  
  
"What are you saying?" Ginny asked, her voice full of emotion.  
  
"I'm saying," Harry cleared his throat and reached into his robes to pull the finishing touches of his plan. Harry presented Ginny with a quill he had transfigured into a rose only to find that the stem had broken and a few of the petals, which had mysteriously turned from red to green, had fallen off. Harry cursed and stared at the broken flower.  
  
Why was it that everything he did with girls had to be awkward and not work the way he had intended?  
  
Harry broke down into a fit of laughter. It was funny, really, how that worked out.  
  
After a moment, he noticed Ginny had begun to laugh as well. Almost instantly Harry's laughs trailed off as he watched her. She looked beautiful. She was fascinating. Before he could stop himself, Harry leaned forward and kissed the corner of her mouth. He felt her stiffen against his lips at first, and then slowly relax into it. He moved his lips experimentally against hers and was pleasantly surprised to feel Ginny mimic his actions.  
  
It was wonderful.  
  
Until she pulled back and broke the kiss off.  
  
Harry stared at her incredulously. How could she have stopped something that felt so wonderful and so right?  
  
"Harry," she said quietly. "Why did you bring me out here?"  
  
He dropped the useless flower and grabbed both of Ginny's hands. For some reason it suddenly felt so much easier to go on.  
  
"I like you, Ginny. I want you to know that I like you."  
  
"You like me?" Ginny breathed.  
  
"Yes," he confirmed, giving her hands a squeeze. "I know you've been over me for a while, but.. Tell me there's a chance you might still like me back. You did once; tell me I haven't lost you."  
  
The next few silent moments were the most agonizing torturous moments of his life. He had never felt as though so much was on the line. Yet all she did was stare at him in shock.  
  
"Ginny?" Harry prompted when she didn't say anything.  
  
"You're not kidding?" Ginny asked hesitantly.  
  
Harry shook his head somewhat confused. "No."  
  
Slowly a smile broke out on her face. "Well, it's about bloody time!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What?" That had not been the reaction he had expected.  
  
Ginny shook her head. "Not important," she muttered. "How long have you felt this way?"  
  
"I don't know exactly." Harry thought for a moment. In truth it had been so gradual, he couldn't place an exact date on when he started looking at Ginny differently. "A while. Ginny, tell me how you feel," he pleaded.  
  
"Harry, I've never gotten over you. I only gave up for a while," she responded with a smile.  
  
Dropping his head, he stared at the ground. "I'm a prat. Don't give up on me," Harry muttered.  
  
With one hand, she reached gently for his chin to lift his gaze. Meeting his eyes, she shook her head slightly. "I won't."  
  
Harry's mind seemed to blur as if drawn into a spell. There was only Ginny, and her lips. Lips that were slightly parted and glistening in the ray of sun that found its way through the tree to perfectly fall over Ginny's face. He knew what he wanted to do, what he had to do.  
  
Harry leaned down and brushed his lips against Ginny's. It was like magic, but a magic that could not be contained in any spells or potions.  
  
After a few minutes they reluctantly pulled apart. Harry licked his lips and swallowed. "We should get back up to the castle," he said in a voice that seemed too husky to be his own.  
  
Ginny nodded, and Harry noticed her cheeks were flushed pink. "Oh. Hold on a moment." With that Ginny bent down and picked up the discarded flower.  
  
She looked at it and smiled. "It's green." She got a mischievous gleam in her eye. "Let me put it on your robes. It'll-"  
  
Harry sighed, "Yes, I know it goes with my eyes," he muttered.  
  
Ginny's smile brightened. "I was going to say it would look adorable on you; but, yes, it does go with your eyes." She broke the flower off its stem completely, transfigured the stem into a pin and stuck it to his robes. "There," she said patting his shoulder.  
  
Harry and Ginny turned towards the castle together and walked across the grass, hand in hand.  
  
*  
  
Fin  
  
A/N 2: So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed this. If so, go read the companion piece I made for this called, Chocolate Roses. That one follows Ron and Hermione. I want to thank my pre-betas Hershey and GinnylovesHarry and my beta, Jalyn. Thank you!  
  
Please Review!! 


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